At least 24 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded in a bombing at a railway station in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, according to authorities.

The explosion on Saturday happened as nearly 100 passengers waited on a platform at about 8:45am (03:45 GMT) in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, for a train to Peshawar.

Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, resource-rich Balochistan, is home to separatist armed fighters and has been a frequent target of deadly bombings. The province borders Afghanistan and Iran.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station.

The outlawed BLA has long waged an armed rebellion seeking independence from Islamabad. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s gas and mineral resources.

“Since the beginning of 2024, we’ve really seen a surge of violence in Balochistan. So many attacks on security forces,” journalist Saadullah Akhter, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, told Al Jazeera.

“But this is the first time that the centre of Quetta has been targeted and it is very shocking to many people.”

Shahid Rind, a provincial government spokesman, said the bombing seemed to have been a suicide attack, but an investigation was ongoing to confirm the BLA’s claim.

Security personnel were still collecting evidence and assessing the intensity of the explosion, Akhter said.

Images posted online showed bloodied clothes and other personal items scattered on the platform as uniformed personnel inspected the area following the blast.

TV footage showed the steel structure of the platform’s roof blown apart and a tea stall destroyed as luggage littered the place.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the bombing, saying those who orchestrated the attack “will pay a very heavy price for it”, adding that security forces were determined to eliminate “the menace of terrorism”.

In August, the BLA claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks by dozens of assailants who killed at least 39 people.

Armed assailants killed 20 miners and injured seven in October at a small private coal mine in the Dukki district of Balochistan province.

In the past, armed groups also targeted energy projects with foreign financing – most notably from China – accusing outsiders of exploiting the region while excluding residents from the profits.